Ash-sifter



E. NICHOLAS.

ASH SIFTER. APPLICATION FILED Moy. 1'1, 1920.

Ptllte Jun@ 7, 1.923.

EDWARD NICHOLASQOF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ASH-SFTER.

iseossa.

Specication of Letters Patent.

1Paten-ted June 7, 1921,

Application led November 17, 1920. Serial No. 424,646.

To @ZZ fw )tom may concern Be it known that l, EDWARD rficiniiiiisa British subject, and resident of Cambridge, in the countyv of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Ash-Sifters, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to ash sifters and is intended to provide a device of this kind adapted to conveniently take up unsifted ashes and sift them eifectuaily without al lowing the dust to escape from the sifter, convenient provision being made for the separate deposit of the cinders and the ash after the sifting operation is completed.

Ash sifters intended for this purpose are commonly made of sheet metal and in consequence even when doors are provided the buckling of the sheet metal under the strain of a load results in leaving gaps and cracks around the doors through which the fine ash dust can penetrate to the discomfort of the one using the device.

The present invention is intended to overcome this and other dirhculties and comprises, generally speaking, a casing of suitable form divided longitudinally into separate compartments by a longitudinal screen forming a foraminous partition locatedbetween the top and bottom walls of the casing, the two compartments being left open across opposite ends and on opposite sides of the partition to provide a capacious intake and outlet which are tightly closed by suitable doors or gates during the sifting operation.

This and other features of the invention will be particularly described in this speci fication and will be defined in the claims hereto annexed.

ln the drawings simple and convenient rangement embodying invention in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the middle of the complete device.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof:

1n the practice rof the invention according tol the form illustrated in the drawings, l provide a casing of any suitable material such as sheet metal comprising of a bottom 1, top 2 and opposite sides 3. rlhe forward end of the bottom is turned back on itself at an angle by two folds or' bends to form a triangular hollow reinforcing rib comprising the members 4 and 5, the former of which forms an inclined plane extending down to I have illustrated a construction and arthe principles of this a point to facilitate scooping up the ashes into the interior of the casing. The vertical portion 5 of this triangular rib closes the narrow converging front end of the casing` and affords a substantial support for the attachment of the foi-ward end of the foraminous partition or screen 16. At the same time it prevents the accumulation of material in the constricted forward end of the lower compartment.

1n the form shown, the top of the casingV is made considerably shorter than the bottom so that the opposite sides 3 have their forwardedges extending` in an oblique direction toward the front. r1`his oblique portion of the sides is turned inwardly to form opu posing flanges 6 which both serve to sti'eii this part of the casing and also serve as an outside guide for the sliding door 8.

At a short vdistance inside of the lips or anges 6 and extending parallel thereto are secured to the side walls 3 angle plates 7 so as to leave a narrow intervening space between tlie inturned members of the angle plates and the parallel inturned lips or flanges 6 corresponding'to the thickness of the sliding door 8 for which the angle plates 7 and flanges 6 form runways or grooves.

rEhe gate is provided with a hook or handle 9 to facilitate pushing it in or out.

The rear end of the casing is closed by an end wall or plate 10 which may be riveted or otherwise secured to the top and side walls ofthe casing and which terminates a substantial distance above the bottom 1.

Adjacent to and parallel with said end wall 10 is secured a partition plate 11 which extends about half-way down to the bottom from the top of the casing. The lower end of this inside wall is preferably turned in to form a iiange 18 which forms an anchorage or support to which the rear end of the foraminous screen 16 is secured.

The plates 10 and 11 are spaced apart sufficiently to form a runway or guide for the sliding gate or door 13 which is inserted between them and which is given a height about equal to one-half the height of the casing. Normally this sliding rear door 13 when Vclosed is overlapped by the end wall 10 to form a secure support and its lower edge is slit and supported by an angle iron 12 extending across and secured to the bot tom 1. Above the middle of the top edge of the door 13 there is formed a small circular hole 15 through which a pull rod 14 is in- Serted which is soldered or otherwise connected to the middle portion ot the upper edge ot the door 13.

The reintorcing ot the tront and rear ends ot the casing in the manner described serves to give the casing great stiffness or rigidity adjacent to the sliding doors so as to prevent the middle walls trom bulging apart and leaving cracks tor the escape ot the tine dust during sitting.

lt will be noticed that the tront end ot the screen is tastened to the vertical vtiange 5 which tornis the inclined receiving and stiftening rib at the tront edge so as to present no obstruction to the tlow ot ashes onto the screen when the device is used as a scoop to scoop up the ashes.

Suitable handles 19 and 20 are secured preferably to the rear end ot the top walls so that the device may be conveniently grasped tor shaking or other manipulation.

ln practice the door or sliding gate 8 is pulled open and the casing is then used as a scoop to scoop up a supply ot ashes trom the floor atter which the gate is closed and the ashes sitted by shaking.

Tffhen the sitting operation has been com` pleted the dust or ash will be in the lower compartment while the coarser clinhers and cinders will be in the upper compartment. Each door may then be opened the ashes being discharged trom the tront end into a suitable receptacle and the cinders discharged trom the rear end.

What l claim is:

1. ln an ash sitter, the combination ot a casing, an interior screen extending lengthwise ot the casing and torming a toraminous partition dividing the casing into upper and lower compartments, open at their opposite ends to torm respectively an in-V take and outlet, and doors mounted in said casing to tightly close said open ends to prevent the escape ot dust during the sitting operation, substantially as described.

2. ln an ash sitter, the combination ot a casing whose bottom is extended forwardly beyond the tront edge ot the casing` top, and is bent back upon itselt to torni a closed hollow tapered reintorcing ledge, a door arranged to close the open tront end ot said casing and abut against the rear upper portion ot said ledge, a rear wall closing the upper halt ot the rear end ot said casing and a door arranged inside said wall to close the open lower end ot said casing, and a partition screen extending lengthwise ot said casing and secured at its tront end to the rear portion ot said ledge, substantially as described.

3. ln an ash sitter, the combination ot a casing whose bottom isprovided at its front end with a hollow tapered reinforcing ledge turnishing an abutment torming a stop shoulder tor a sliding door, a partition screen extending lengthwise ot said casing to torm upper and lower compartments, a rear end wall closing the upper part ot the rear end ot the casing, a sliding doorarranged to close the lower part ot the rear end below said screen, and means passing through a restricted opening in the casing topf to open and close said door and an obliquely mounted door arranged to close the tront end ot said casing above said ledge, substantially as described. Y

4l. ln an ash sitter, the combination ot a casing comprising top, bottom and side walls, the bottom projecting beyond the sides and the tront edges ot the sides having` oblique edges extending trom the tront edge ot the top to the trent ot the bottom, said oblique edges being inturned to torrn door retaining iianges, reintorcing guide strips secured to the sides adjacent to and parallel with said inturned flanges to torm runways, a sliding door mounted between said runways to close the open trent end, a rear wall closing the upper portion ot the rear end ot the casing door, supporting guides secured to the casing and a sliding door arranged to close the lower rear end trom side to side, and a partition screen dividing` the casing into upper and lower compartments, substantially as described.

5. ln an ash sitter, the combination ot a casing comprising top, bottom and side walls, a screen arranged lengthwise in said casing to divide it into upper and lower compartments, each compartment being open trom side to side at one end opposite to the open end ot the other and each having a sliding door arranged to tightly close its open enc., reintorcing means secured to the ends ot the casing in position to support and guide the respective doors, substantially as described.

6. lnan ash sitter, the combinationot a casing comprising top, bottom and side walls, spaced cross walls secured to the rear end ot the casing to extend across and close the upper portion ot said end, a slidable door interposed between said walls to close the lower portion ot said end, an inclined ledge member extending' across the tront end ot the bottonna partition screen extending trom said inner rear wall, to the rear part otsaid ledge, and a sliding door arranged to close the front end ot the casing above said ledge and said screen, substantially as described. l

ln witness whereot, l have subscribed the above speciiication.

EDWARD NCHLAS.

sov 

